Eagle Farm

In 1829 Commandant Patrick Logan chose a site between the Brisbane River and Serpentine Creek (Pinkenba/Airport) for agricultural use. Well-watered, fertile and comprising over 220 ha, the farm was also used as a place to keep female convicts. By 1830 the farm was exporting maize to Sydney. The origin of the name apparently arose from eagles being observed around the farm.

Queensland's Turf Club held its first race meeting at Eagle Farm in 1865. The Eagle Farm racecourse, however, is west of the suburb, which had College Street as its boundary. Immediately east of College Street was the former suburb of Whinstanes, now a locality, named after Whinstanes House (1886) built for A.B. Webster. Whinstanes post office was opened in 1897, remaining so until 1945. The post office directory of 1949 recorded several large industries along Eagle Farm Road (Kingsford Smith Drive) in Whinstanes: Caltex, C.O.R. and Independent Oil Industries, Neuchatel Asphalt, Wolf Electric Co and Commonwealth Industrial Gases. The Australian Cotton Cooperative had a gin and oil seed factory near Woonah Avenue, and further east, in Eagle Farm, there were Monsanto, Queensland Milk Products (cassein) and the Ford Motor Co. There were also a few farmers on the Serpentine Creek and a Methodist church (Schneider Road), a grocer, a newsagent and a mixed business.

A railway had been opened to the racecourse in 1882, and was extended to Pinkenba in 1897, skirting low lying land adjacent to the river. Ultimately it was filled with spoil from the river dredging and used for industrial development. As Brisbane's port moved downstream, the first of several Hamilton wharves was built in 1923. A government cool store was added in 1925, served by a spur railway line (1922) from the Whinstanes railway station 300 metres east of the present Doomben station. Further east the (Royal) Queensland Golf Club acquired its riverside golf course (1920) next to the river, making it a meeting place for Brisbane's social elite.

The Serpentine Creek farm lands made way for the Queensland Aero Club (1919-31). Brisbane's domestic aerodrome was established there in 1925 and retained that role until the Archerfield aerodrome was opened in 1931. During the war both Eagle Farm and Archerfield were used by the American and Australian airforces, and in 1948 Eagle Farm was re-established as Brisbane's airport. The terminal buildings were reached from Lamington Avenue, just before the Gateway motorway overpass. The area north east of the motorway and Lamington Avenue has three heritage-listed sites: the female prison farm; a World War II engine testing area and an aircraft hanger from the same period.

As the eastern riverside suburbs and industries spread downstream the need for a river crossing was answered by the Sir James Holt ferry (1966-86) from Holt Street, Eagle Farm, to Queensport (Murarrie). Twenty years later the crossing and the need for a ring road were combined as the Gateway Motorway. The Gateway Campus of the Brisbane TAFE was opened in Kingsford Smith Drive on the site of a former technical school.

Kingsford Smith Drive ceased to be the entry way to the airport when the new international and domestic facilities were opened in 1988, accessible by Airport Drive off the Gateway. 'Brisbane Airport' was defined as a separate locality and detached from Eagle Farm.